Have you ever had a student rattle off the sounds in a word—/b/… /a/… /t/, only to say “tab,” “balloon,” or even “chicken”? If so, you’re not alone. And here’s the thing: these blending errors aren’t always decoding issues. Often, they’re tied to working memory.

In this solo episode of Literacy in Color, we unpack why blending matters, what research tells us, and most importantly, practical scaffolds you can use tomorrow to support students who struggle.

Key Takeaways:

• The difference between Additive Sound-by-Sound Blending and Whole Word Blending
• Why connected phonation is more effective than traditional sound-by-sound blending (Gonzalez-Frey & Ehri, 2021)
• Several scaffolds to lighten the working memory load: reducing phonemes, continuous blending, backing up to phonemic awareness, and backward decoding, etc.
• How the gradual release of responsibility helps students build independence and automaticity
• The natural transition from oral → whisper → silent blending as students gain fluency

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